Yu-Gi-Oh: A Past and Future Pharaoh
Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix
Beta By: Lady Lunar Phoenix
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Later that night \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
"Well?"
"Guys... did I ever tell you about a deep, some might say 'irrational' fear of the supernatural that I have?" Jounouchi fairly whined.
"You don't say... I never noticed." Malik deadpanned as the pair stood looking down at John's grave. It was late, the food was making Malik super sleepy and Jounouchi was barely avoiding jumping back. While the trio 'should' have returned back to Japan, there was just one last thing they needed to get hence why they had returned to John's grave.
For someone who worked with stage magicians, John was about as subtle as an Exodia punch as far as Bakura was concerned. They hadn't been easy to find at first, the flashlight needed to catch the metal in the pins that Bakura had put into his hair. But once they caught sight of the slight flash of light on metal it was obvious where the pins were.
Each pin, teased free from Bakura's hair without even alerting the thief, was sticking up right in from the ground that covered John's grave. The pins were spaced out in a shape as though someone was trying to use them to create an image. From the side of the grave the pins were placed in rows tracing out an image that brought to mind an Ankh to Bakura's mind. He could see the shaft of the Ankh and the part that could represent the hoop at the end.
Proving that, given the assumption this 'was' in fact John, he knew of Egypt, and was aware of what was going on in the graveyard. Though he opting not to reveal that to his family who clearly did visit his grave was odd. But it wasn't as though he could wave a flag and say 'hey a little help here' one could suppose.
"Soo just to get my mind off things... Basically they may have 'thought' he was dead and put him in the grave? Ahh isn't science a little 'past' that point of medical errors?" Jounouchi asked watching as Bakura went about plucking each of his pins out of the grave. "Then again, I suppose its possible that this group had some of their lackey's as part of the medical team... so they could fake it..."
Malik blinked and tried to shove his head through the thoughts of sleep he had and make sense of that. While Bakura looked up at Jounouchi and gave a brief nod, "sounds possible, makes me grateful that they didn't cremate him. If Mahaado can enter the graveyard, we could just have him teleport the body up for examin..."
"noooooooooo, you guys are on your own for 'that'." Jounouchi announced as he began backing up and waving his hands as though to ward off some terrible evil. "It was bad enough finding Noa like that, but he never even got 'laid' to rest. This? Nooooo."
The pair looked at Jounouchi and both Malik and Bakura silently had to agree with Jounouchi's stance on the issue. It 'was' invasive and there wasn't any way they could really exam the body, what could they really discern from a corpse?
"I suppose the most we could learn would be if he was still laying as the dead would be laid out or if he showed signs of having tried to get out of his grave." Bakura noted only to hear an 'erp' like sound out of Jounouchi.
He glanced up at the teen blinking a little confused only to shake his head, "Ok I apologize Jounouchi I'll stop." Jounouchi's pallor was taking on a green hue which Bakura couldn't really find fault with. They had already eaten and the discussion of people who were buried alive was 'not' a good conversation to have after such a meal. In fact the whole point of the evening had been heavy enough to make the weight of the pizza's feel heavier than normal.
No need to bring in the mental images of people trapped in coffins, the panic and terror as people came to realize where they were. The bloody and self mutilated hands as the victims would try to punch or claw their way through the lid of their coffins. The faces contorted, limbs twisted as they fought until the air was used up and they succumbed to the final sleep. No, Jounouchi didn't need that mental image, but having Mahaado check, if he could enter the graveyard to begin with would be of value. Focus on the Spirit as being a 'High Magician' all Jounouchi wanted, Bakura was aware of Mahaado's other titles, including his role in the protection of tombs. Already dead and able to check Mahaado could inform them of what was going on in the grave.
"So right now, the spirits found Josie, and it sounds as though she moved to an island somewhere off the coast of Europe proper," Bakura began.
"Proper Tea!" Malik cheered teasingly earning a snort before Jounouchi cracked up laughing while Bakura just hung his head.
"Yes, proper, civilized tea something you heathens know nothing about," Bakura resigned himself to say...
"Hey we have great teas in Japan, and you know it," Jounouchi countered light hearted as Bakura stood up.
"And you drink how many?"
Jounouchi frowned and sulked behind Malik a touch in response while Bakura shook his head looking about one last time.
"This will give us time to meet the final girl in the group and the twins time to process what we talked about. Its going to be a couple of weeks before we can catch up to them again," Bakura noted as he pulled out the rings for their trip back to Japan.
"Maybe we should try to get access to more news sources," Malik suggested as he rubbed his arms from the cold. "The group has been rather quiet since the bomb, but I can't imagine its because Yugi's back. They 'must' be doing something somewhere else, we can't forget what Mahaado showed Catherine."
"Point taken, unfortunately none of us can afford the resources necessary to scan those, not to mention we'd have to take up languages from around the world. I'm loathed to ask the Spirits, I've been pushing them nonstop. They should have a time to get back together and communicate as a village 'should'. There may be things they are noting and not being shared because they're leaving so quickly again..."
As Bakura spoke Malik and Jounouchi stepped forward taking up triangular positions while grabbing the two remaining hoops. The world was washed away as they were taken back to Bakura's apartment. The lights were off while the sun itself having gone down left the apartment in complete darkness. Despite that they already knew the take off their shoes and stepping back while Malik made the beeline straight to the lights.
From Japan to California back to Japan in a single day, and thankfully in an apartment warm enough for Malik to stop shivering. Jounouchi gathered up the shoes and began carrying them to the door leaving Bakura to finally shrug his way out of his coat. "I'm glad that's over with, all I need is to finish the finals and be done with that. Once its over we can put more earnest effort in finding this group."
"We need a name for them," Jounouchi noted as he carried and dropped the shoes at their proper spot with the last pair, Bakura's, then dropped onto the ground. "We can't keep calling them 'group' after all we need something that makes them unique."
"True, just calling them a 'group' doesn't encapsulate the danger this group poses, though it makes me wonder if they 'have' a name. I know I called my group 'Shadow Hunters' but what about this group? If they're either backed by a company or something we could probably find out more if we knew their actual name." Malik joined in with a nod as he went and dropped himself on Bakura's couch, "Though I'm now curious as to what they would name themselves."
"Maybe they stole the one you used," Bakura suggested as he began towing his coat back into his room.
"Isn't that illegal or something?" Malik asked nonchalantly as he watched as the cards he had made start moving about on the table... and Jounouchi started backing up from the table. He draped his arm over the arm of the chair and pulled up his feet. He was going to go to sleep and no one was going to stop him on that.
"Finding the name would be useful, but I guess we should find Josie first?" Jounouchi asked as he settled down in the chair furthest from the cards on the table.
"Agreed. The twins don't remember what happened, its strange for that night to be washed away so totally from liquor when it hadn't even been consumed." Bakura agreed as he returned to the room and sat down in the chair closest to the cards.
"Wait... what?" Jounouchi knew there were points during the conversations that he would miss from talking to Malik. Hell he lost stuff from not being able to speak English as well as Bakura or Anzu, but...
"They took the book on a camping trip, but the twins admitted that they can't remember anything of that night. They recall setting up the campsite, yet everything that happened 'after' is a complete blank to them. Which I find hard to believe, since they do not recall drinking anything before they finished the camp, if George is to be believed." Bakura explained observing Jounouchi's expression slip further and further into disbelief.
"I realize the heaviest thing you've probably ever had to drink is tea. But having experiences from an alcoholic old man I feel confident to say, 'that's not how liquor works'." Jounouchi commented with a shake of the head, "unless they are redefining the definition of the term 'light weight'."
"Exactly, hence I am interested in what Josie remembers, because unlike the twins, she has no biological relation to Egypt from what I can see." Bakura agreed, leaning to the side and resting his head on his hand.
"The odds are pretty outrageous that she's also connected somehow... And that she had to move to another country just to feel ok?" Jounouchi noted before his eyes shifted to Malik. "Sooo how do we do this? She might be more comfortable around Anzu than three strange guys, but if that's the case who gets voted off the trip?"
Bakura blinked straightening up as Jounouchi made a valid point, Bakura and Anzu both spoke English, but could Anzu pick up on hidden things as easily as Bakura? Jounouchi was right about Anzu's presence possibly being more valuable, but it left them with either Malik staying behind or Jounouchi.
"So I vote Malik goes with you, since he doesn't work, he has more free time for travel while I keep having to fit in the days between school, trip, and job." Jounouchi conceded as he sat there, before giving a shrug, "it'll also let me have more time to help Honda around."
"That is true, indeed if something comes up we could just have Anzu come along if your job calls you in unexpectedly. When we go see the twins again," Bakura agreed thoughtfully. "I'm sure Anzu would appreciate a bit of time away from the drama in school."
"Trading one drama for another one," Malik sleepily noted before a huge yawn took him. "Night guys..." Annnnd he began sliding down so that he was resting on the couch proper, leaving Bakura rolling his eyes.
"I'll fetch the blanket I suppose."
"Want I should call Anzu in the morning and see what she says? Since you're doing the main stuff seems only fair that I give a hand," Jounouchi offered, earning an appreciative nod from Bakura.
"Yes, thank you. That will leave me talking with Yugi to see about getting Mahaado's assistance, as well update him on what we've learned." Bakura agreed glad to have some of the weight off his shoulders, running a Monster World session had it value, but when he also had to physically do the work...
"Ironic isn't it? This one family out of all the world is connected to Ancient Egypt, yet Malik knows nothing of it. One would think the Tribe's heir would be better informed," Bakura thought aloud, indifferent if it got Malik's attention while he walked back, blanket in hand.
But Malik was well and truly out by then, his head resting on a side pillow and as soon as Bakura draped the blanket over him. The young Egyptian stretched out and got himself sleepily comfortable.
"Well he snuck out, I suppose a family or at least one person managed to sneak out and start a life on their own at 'some' point." Jounouchi theorized thoughtfully, "Seems too weird that they would all stay underground for ages, like wouldn't inner breeding settle in before then? Or a good sizable shake cause the tunnels they lived in to collapse if it was that huge."
"Not everyone, remember that Rashid, himself, comes from above ground, Malik's mother found him and brought him with her. It would not be far fetched to believe that children abandoned near wells or other places the Tomb Keepers used could have been gathered. Indeed it would undoubtedly create rumors ultimately encouraging people to abandon the unwanted there." Bakura pointed out, thoughtfully as he sat back down and lowered his voice so that he wouldn't disturb Malik.
"Hmm... Yeah you got a point there," Jounouchi agreed as he gave a yawn. "But that still leaves the theft of those items."
"I am unsure if the Book would have been left with them..." A new womans' voice, for Bakura's ears only spoke up, or rather... a voice he was unaccustomed to hearing on a regular basis.
He turned to see the Village Leader standing there, her fingers playing with the tip of the braid her hair was in. "Why?" He asked, it was rare that she spoke to him, she was somewhat younger than his Egyptian mother, but she was close to the woman so...
She stood there, her head tilted to the side in thought and the robe she wore not one to make her stand out among the group. Indeed if she stood among her fellow Spirits he wouldn't have been able to tell she was the leader of the village. But then, she wasn't the original leader, it was just that her husband had not been in the village on That night. "Well, all the Sennen Items have negative effects on the people that are bestowed them. I would think less of Set's intelligence if he placed the Book that caused all our suffering with the same group he entrusted the Items unto."
He blinked and found himself nodding at her point, his eyes going back to Malik and remembering how the Rod alone affected the blond... "The Village Leader pointed out that the Book probably was never with Malik's Tribe... The risk would have been, too, high that the Demon could have returned prematurely. Given how people react when exposed to the Items alone."
"Oh yeah... there's that... Would also explain why the tablets existed yet Malik didn't know of the theft. How could he know of something that was never part of their group to begin with? But that leaves the rest of the world? Maybe finding out their connection to Egypt isn't important," Jounouchi suggested. "Isn't it a bit more distracting to focus on the family that 'isn't' part of this group we're facing when all they had was the Book."
"True, but we can't just leave them in the Demon's grasp," Bakura pointed out, taken aback at the suggestion that they abandon them.
Jounouchi merely shook his head, waving a hand away as though to swat away the thought, "I'm not saying we abandon them, just not to focus so much on them."
Bakura nodded, in understanding, "agreed. Find Josie, find out what we can do for their mother, if anything... And resume the hunt for Travis and the book, least we forget that its because of Travis' impending execution that we're even doing this to start with."
"Wish I 'could' forget honestly... I'd feel better if I knew what his situation is to start with. For all we know he's already dead," Jounouchi agreed before he finally pushed himself to his feet. "I need to go home now before I fall asleep. Man that pizza was good! We need to go to America from now on for quality pizza."
"I'll bring a thermos and my own tea next time," Bakura offered as he stood up as well. He walked Jounouchi to the door. Bakura advised while Jounouchi slipped his sneakers back on and opened the door. "Be careful, I don't think we can afford to be careless all the time now, even here."
"Same to you, and I'll let you know what Anzu says later," Jounouchi agreed as he walked out of the apartment and down the hallway.